


Weak

by eternally_touching_your_butt



Category: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Age Regression/De-Aging, Blood and Gore, Diapers, Drizzt has a nervous breakdown, Even if they don't understand, Friends will always help you, Gen, Hints of flirting between Catti-Brie and Artemis, I like making my faves hurt, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mental Instability, Non-Sexual Age Play, Nothing sexually graphic, Psychological Torture, Self-Indulgent, The regression is all mental/emotional, Torture, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, thumbsucking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-06-30 09:05:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19849951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternally_touching_your_butt/pseuds/eternally_touching_your_butt
Summary: Drizzt got far more than he bargained for this time. He was a warrior, making the ultimate sacrifice for the well-being of his loved ones. How could it have backfired so badly? Nothing made sense anymore since he came back from that pit of hell called Menzoberranzan. Catti-Brie and Entreri were becoming friends, the dwarves were going to war without him, and he felt so, so, weak.An AU taking place when Drizzt turned himself in to House Baenre in a dumb attempt to save his friends. Everything after Starless Night doesn't happen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, all.
> 
> This is not my first fanfic, but it is the first one posted here. This story has been buzzing around my head for a while now and I had to get it down. Also, I just don't want my writing ability to get rusty lol.
> 
> I am being completely self-indulgent with this story and I'm just out to have a good time. However, if you have suggestions for later chapters I will definitely take them into consideration.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Deep under the surface, within the drow city of Menzoberranzan, and deeper still in the dungeon of the most noble Baenre household, Drizzt Do’Urden was held in shackles.

He had been such a fool.

Letting himself be captured was supposed to solve everything. A sacrifice so that his friends could live a life outside of the dark shadow he cast.

Drizzt had fully expected to be sacrificed as soon as he was brought in his birth city. His captors, however, assured him otherwise but remained vague as to what their plans were. Now, instead of laying on an altar, he stood chained in a dungeon. He feared the worst.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of indistinct voices coming closer to his cell. He tried to lean closer so he could hear, but it was futile.

The chains held him off the ground in such a way that only the tips of his toes touched the ground. His wrists were already raw, and he had only been here for a couple days. At least, he guessed it was a couple days. He’d only been brought water and taken down to relieve himself twice now. No food had been brought at all.

The heavy door swung open, and a tiny, shriveled up drow of a woman walked in. She looked ancient, but she was finely dressed. Drizzt instantly recognized her as Matron Baenre: the matron of the first house, and sometimes referred to as the voice of Lolth herself in Menzoberrranzan. Following her was an illithid, a mind flayer, that wore the Baenre house colors.

Drizzt gulped. Even he could barely hold his own against those twisted mind flayers. His time serving as a slave to them still chilled him at times. Guen was the only reason he escaped so long ago, and he would not forget that any time soon.

Matron Baenre grinned wickedly. The wrinkles on her face spider webbed even more.

“Ah, the lost secondboy returns to his home. A lot of time and trouble has been spent on you, you know.” She stalked back and forth in front of Drizzt, while the mind flayer stood a few paces away. “And yet you fell right into my lap. I won’t waste this opportunity, not like your sister.”

Drizzt grimaced at the memories of Vierna. He wished he could have saved her. But he had been too late to try and salvage what little good she had buried deep within.

“I see she’s still a touchy subject,” Matron Baenre continued. “Don’t worry, I won’t press. That’s not my job after all.”

“Just get to the point. What do you want?”

All pretense of distorted familiarity dropped.

“You’re going to tell me all about that little dwarven hall you like so much. If you do, your suffering will be lessened. We might not even torture your ‘friends’.”

Drizzt felt like someone blasted him with a cone of ice point-blank. His mouth felt dry and his heart pounded.

“I’ll die before I’ll tell you anything.”

Matron Baenre nodded sagely, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

“I know. But I’m merciful, so I offered you a chance. Remember that. Methil,” she turned to the mind flayer, “pick out all thoughts related to Mithril Hall. No restraints required.”

The mind flayer, Methil, moved forward as Matron Baenre stepped out of his way. His tentacles wriggled in perverted excitement.

There was no chance Drizzt would submit without a fight!

Methil sprung forward and Drizzt brought up his legs and tried to wrap them around the mind flayer’s body. He dodged and soon those slimy tendrils wormed their way across Drizzt’s skin and into his ears.

He froze as the burning pain permeated his skull. Flashes of memories played out in his mind’s eye. He fought to shut them out, to blank out his mind, but the images kept coming.

Pushing through the pain and disorientation, he thrashed around.

An image of his friends, the Companions of the Hall, appeared, and he redoubled his efforts. Methil pushed even deeper. Drizzt screamed, and not just in pain but rage. His limbs shook and his breathing became labored. He had to push on.

Catti-Brie’s lovely face, graced with a smile on her pink lips, whispering to him as they watched the sunrise, gave him the final burst of strength he needed. He arched his back and landed a kick where the chin would be on the creature. He followed up with a kick to the side of the head and dug his toes into the right eye.

The mind flayer reeled. Blood dripped from his eye. He clutched it as he retreated to Matron Baenre. She wasn’t smiling now.

“Yes, Methil,” she said in response to a silent query. “I understand. Give him a few days. He should be weak enough then.”

The two exited, Matron Baenre already healing the mind flayer’s wound, and the door slammed shut behind. Drizzt was left once again with his thoughts.

He couldn’t allow them to break him. It was futile to escape from where he was, but maybe he could steel his mind. All he had to do was clear out his mind. If people could forget things accidentally, there had to be a way to forget them purposefully.

And if not… there were other ways to get rid of his mind. He shuddered, but he knew that this was a self-made problem he had to fix. No one was going to swoop in and stop the inevitable.

He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, soon falling into a light trance. He focused on Mithril Hall first. All his scouting missions in the deep tunnels, all the passages and where they led, everything was here. He cursed his adept survival skills. Slowly, he recalled each and every tunnel, then twisted them. As each tunnel materialized in his mind, he disrupted the thought and mixed it with other experiences. From his past, he pulled other halls that he had visited to throw in even more confusion.

For hours Drizzt did this. The tunnels were the most tedious memories to distort, but also the most important. When he came out of his trance, the door was opened again to reveal a young drow woman. She couldn’t have been much older than Drizzt himself, but it was always hard to tell with drow.

She was very short and petite, but she carried herself as if she were a storm giant and all the world was but an anthill beneath her feet. She dressed herself in a simple robe that was decorated in typical spider web fashion with the addition of skulls embroidered throughout. A broad, sharp-toothed smile stretched across her undrowlike round face.

“So you’re Drizzt,” she said softly. “Hm, you’re quite the prize. I am very lucky that Matron Baenre let me back home to deal with one so… Noble.” She licked her lips.

“Just get on with what you’re here to do. It won’t work, but you’re wasting my time.”

“Wasting your time? Ha! What do you have to do so urgently? Hang around? Scratch your nose?” She giggled a bit more before sighing, that ever present smile still there. “You had best get accustomed to my presence, my little, insolent cur, because we’re going to be spending much quality time together.”

She practically skipped across the room to grab a chair and rolling table covered by a cloth so she could drag it in front of Drizzt. It was several feet away, so he had no chance of reaching it, but she was much closer. As she sat down, crossing her legs, her eyes widened and her lips formed an ‘O’ as she put a delicate hand to her mouth.

“Why, I cannot believe how rude I’ve been. I know your name, but you don’t know mine. My dearest Matron loves to hide me.” A hint of bitterness seeped into her tone whenever she mentioned Matron Baenre. “My name is Vendes Baenre. My number among my sisters matters not. I’m quite happy where I am.”

“You could’ve fooled me. How many times have failed to get rid of your sisters? Have you failed so many times that you’re now content in the dungeons? Sad, if you ask me.”

Her grin didn’t falter in the slightest. “Oh, you’re a funny one for sure. But we’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk about you. You see, I did some reconnaissance on your past. School records, what little house records survived, journals, and a bit of bribery from my favorite mercenary group.

From what I learned, you’re not simple. My usual methods, as enjoyable and reliable as they are, will do nothing that you won’t be able to resist. Which means, I get to experiment! It’s not often I get to implement psychology. Don’t worry, though, you won’t miss out on what everyone else gets!” She winked.

A stone fell hard into the pit of Drizzt’s stomach. This woman was sent here to torture him, that much he knew and, honestly, expected. But experiments? He felt like he could safely say he’d witnessed, if not experienced, just about everything torture could do to him. But this woman… she was so confident. And the look in her eyes gave him pause. If there was some torture worse than what a mind flayer could do, he was concerned.

“First, I need to get a baseline. Comfortable?”

“Oh yes, like hanging from a hammock.”

“Mhm, interesting.” She wasn’t even looking at Drizzt. She turned her attention to the covered table and unveiled a set of carefully arranged toture implements. “Let’s change that, shall we?” She held up a small, but clearly very sharp knife.

His abdominal muscles tightened as he prepared to kick out again. It was his only method of defense. “Do your worst. Nothing you do will get me to talk.”

She paused a moment and her eyebrows knitted together. She snapped her fingers.

“Oh right! I almost forgot. Silly me. Girls!” She called out behind her, and the door, left slightly ajar, opened. Two giant spiders skittered in and went to Vendes’s side. They nuzzled up against her thighs affectionately. She draped a hand over one and pet it like a cat. “I’m happy to see you too. I have a plaything for you…”

Eighteen red eyes locked onto Drizzt.

One spider crawled up to him. He tried to kick it away with all the strength he could muster, but the arachnid was too fast for his impaired movement. It leapt forward and its fangs pierced the skin of his calf. The muscles around the bite became unresponsive. He couldn’t move his leg anymore! The spider moved on to the other leg and it fell victim.

The second spider had no need to be as quick, so it took its precious time crawling up the wall, then over Drizzt’s body, up his neck, and all along his arm. The hairy legs tickled his skin and left it feeling itchy.

He wasn’t squeamish when it came to insects and creepy crawlies, but having them all over him without any way to brush them off, it would cause any lesser man to whimper. As it was, Drizzt bit his tongue.

Strangely, unlike other paralyzing venoms, he could still feel the pain radiating from the bite wounds. It was a throbbing pain, that pulsed and ebbed like the flow of an ocean, each lap pushing the pain further inward.

“What kind of spiders are those?” Drizzt ground out.

“They’re lovely little beasties. I bred them myself just for this purpose. Their venom leaves all nerves intact while causing debilitating weakness in the muscles. Some pleasant side effects are spasms, nausea, headaches, night terrors, loss of mobility, and permanent muscle loss on extended use.” She chirped every word as if she were reciting a family recipe.

She and brought her little knife to bear. She grabbed hold of his wrist. By now, Drizzt couldn’t even twitch his fingers. The knife slowly pierced the tips of his fingers, and he winced. It went deeper, pushing into his flesh until it hit bone. He gasped despite his best efforts to deny a reaction to Vendes.

“Aw, what a cute little voice. Come on, let me hear it.”

“Go to hell.”

Vendes pouted. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.” She twisted the knife and jerked it out.

“Ah…!” Drizzt cursed himself mentally.

“There we go.”

She moved to the next finger and continued until every finger dripped crimson. His ragged fingertips felt as if they were going to be torn off.

Drizzt felt a sheen of sweat forming on his skin. She knew just how to find the chinks in his guard and pierce through him as effectively as the first time.

Vendes brought the blade to her mouth and delicately licked the blood from it, eyeing Drizzt the whole time with a smile.

“Not sweet yet. I guess we have to keep going.” She placed the knife back on the table and grabbed what looked like a fork, except the prongs were much longer and sharpened to points. It also had a leather strap attached.

“Mind holding your legs up?” She burst into laughter. “Oh, I kid, I kid. I know you can’t move.”

She kept giggling to herself as she maneuvered Drizzt’s legs until she was effectively behind him. His wrists ached for freedom. Since the venom had entered his bloodstream, he’d been forced to hang without any relief.

“Why do you need to be back there?”

He craned his neck to see what Vendes was doing, but a four-pronged stabbing pain in the back of his knee answered.

“Ngah!” He breathed quickly. His nostrils flared, and he closed his eyes in agony. The fork was still in there; he could feel it. It pushed further in, and Drizzt just wanted to escape. His traitorous muscles refused to move. Not even adrenaline could help him. The fork started to get pulled out and he relaxed, only for it to be shoved back in even further. He sucked in a breath, forcing himself not to cry out.

After several torturous minutes, Vendes stopped playing with the wound. She wrapped a bandage around the wound, but the fork was left in place. She secured it to his leg with the strap.

But Vendes wasn’t done. She procured a second fork from the table. Drizzt grit his teeth. This was for his friends. The longer he held out with this torture, the longer his friends would stay safe. They’d have to get tired of torturing him eventually, right?

The second fork went in, and Drizzt couldn’t hold back a cry. Sweat dripped down his face.

“Ooo, that was a big one. I think I’m getting somewhere!”

After her playtime, she secured the fork in the same way as the other. She went back to that table of horrors and Drizzt tried his best to prepare himself for the next nightmare.

A hammer met his gaze. It wasn’t big, or threatening, it just looked like a standard hammer for construction. His confusion must have shown, for Vendes paused to consider him.

“I know what you’re thinking. ‘That’s not very pointy or creative, Vendes. What could a hammer possibly do?’ Behold.”

She wound up and slammed the hammer right into the dead center of his shin. The initial blunt force, while painful, could not compare to the pain in his thighs. A scream ripped itself from Drizzt’s lips. He clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip to cut it off, drawing a few beads of blood.

“Voila! I place the device in the backs of your knees. I then force them to bend with my hammer. Clever?”

Drizzt responded by spitting at her feet. “If by clever you mean a blight upon all who come to be in your presence, then yes.”

“Flattery won’t get you out of here, but it was a nice try.” She accented the last word of her sentence with another smack from the hammer.

Drizzt couldn’t begin to count the number of blows he sustained. He knew at the very least that he started screaming in earnest by the tenth. Tears of pain leaked from closed eyes and mixed with his sweat to streak down his face. His throat felt raw, and he wanted nothing more than some water.

“All right. That wraps up our two hour session. Short, but sweet. Not everybody gets so much personal time with me. You should feel special! Anyway, I must run along. I have places to be, and you need to rest for what’s ahead. Bye!” She waved goodbye as she ushered her pet spiders along. The door slammed and it was quiet once again.

White locks of hair hung in front of his face. He barely registered that he could move his muscles again, albeit barely. Many people were what Drizzt would consider evil, but that woman, that Vendes, she was on another level. She was comparable to the demons of the Abyss themselves.

He shook away all thoughts of Vendes. He had to forget everything to protect his friends. All the defenses of Mithril Hall, how many dwarves made their home there, and the allies that were sure to help. He mixed up names, switched around numbers, and misplaced objects.

It was hard. He’d committed it all to memory because of his long wanderings about the hall. One of his duties was to find weaknesses so that Bruenor could address them. He had to change what the truth was in his mind.

Nobody came in for a long time. By the time he felt satisfied in his altered memories and could no longer recall the originals, he had been left alone for hours. The last thing he needed to forget, was one that he was loathe to start on: his friends. They would be the first ones targeted, if not for strategy then for spite. They were the reason he was here in a vain attempt to protect them, so he had to do this.

Except… he didn’t want to. His friends were the dearest things in life to him. He cherished every memory. How could he just forget all of the years with Bruenor, Regis, Wulfgar, and Catti-Brie? He had to.  _ He had to. _ Stop being selfish, dammit!

But he was scared. That first round of torture was brutal. If he didn’t have the memories of his friends to push him through the pain… What did he have?

Tears started to form in his eyes, but he stubbornly rubbed them away into his shoulder. He didn’t have to get rid of those memories now. He still had time. Yeah, he had plenty of time.

***

It was several more hours before anyone returned to his cell. Drizzt fell into a light trance, somehow, and was only awakened when the door creaked open to allow a pair of female guards in.

The guards were better armed and armored than the ones who had brought him water before, but between them they carried a large barrel full of liquid. Drizzt assumed it was water since there was no distinguishing smell, but he couldn’t be certain. Unlike the previous times, the barrel, as he could hear the sloshing inside and see strain in the guards’ muscles, was full to the brim. He clenched his jaw.

Neither said a word as they approached. The lid of the barrel was removed and one guard produced a cup with a long handle. She filled it up and held it to Drizzt’s lips. He sniffed it but found nothing amiss. He accepted the drink, not knowing the next time he would be given water.

Everytime he drained the cup it was refilled and offered to him again. Soon enough, he’d had his fill. However, when he turned his head away, the other guard who had been on standby grabbed his face. She gripped his jaw with incredible strength and forced his mouth open. She tilted his head back and they poured water down his gullet. He struggled to keep up with the rapidly overflowing water. All he could do to stop from drowning was swallow as fast as he could and hope for a few seconds of air in between.

After a while, Drizzt noticed an earthy, almost herbal flavor. It was bound to be a drug of some kind, but his mental facilities were unaffected. He also detected a bit of saltiness now that he was focused on the flavor. What was the purpose of it?

It soon became hard to focus on anything other than breathing. His head hurt so bad, it felt like his brain was trying to pound its way out of his skull. His stomach felt bloated and nausea took hold. How much more water could his body take?

Then another issue manifested itself. He needed to relieve himself.  _ Badly. _ He hadn’t noticed it at first because of how much else was happening, but now that he did, it was all he could think about.

Swallow.

Breathe.

Press his thighs together.

Repeat.

That was his world for a long time. It couldn’t have been long, but it felt like decades. He could’ve sworn the guards sped up the process, but he couldn’t see because he’d closed his eyes a while back. It took too much concentration to process anything visually.

“St-stop,” he managed to gasp out between cupfuls.

There was a pause. Drizzt opened his eyes to the guards smirking at him. One filled the cup again.

“No. You haven’t had nearly enough.” She pressed the cup to his lips, and he sipped at to maybe stop them from forcing him.

It satisfied them, but he was still taking in so much water. The pain in his abdomen was intense. He felt like he was going to vomit, and the pressure in his bladder kept growing until it ached.

Another cup was brought to his lips, but as he tried to drink it, he gagged. He coughed up enough water to fill that damned cup twice over, but he managed to not vomit. It was a small victory, but it didn’t really matter in the big picture

“All right, I get it. One more cup and we’ll take it away.”

She offered the cup again, but Drizzt only glared at her.

“Come on, no tricks. I promise you that we’ll put away the barrel if you drink this last one.” To confirm her promise, the other guard hammered the lid back onto the barrel.

Drizzt sighed, but accepted the final cup.

“There. Not so hard.” Her voice held an infantilizing tone, but Drizzt was just glad it was over. Now they would chain him up even more than he was now, take him down, and let him relieve himself.

The other guard spoke up, “Now we get to start the real fun.”

His breath caught in his throat. What? But…

“You said we were done!”

“Done?” They both drew nasty looking whips from their belts. “Not by a long shot.”

Strike after strike slashed his flesh. Metal hooks dug into his skin and tore it away, leaving gaping holes that leaked red. Every lash burned. There was some kind of poison on them, something that caused more pain than normal. They flipped him around when there wasn’t a single stretch of untormented flesh, moving one chained hand to an adjacent shackle so that he faced the wall. It began again, and Drizzt comprehended nothing but pain.

Through the fog of pain, he felt himself flipped around again. He was back in his original position. It was over. The forks in his legs had even been removed. Cold glass was pressed to his lips and he tasted the bitter, medicinal tang of a healing potion.

The wounds across his body knit back together just enough so that he wasn’t bleeding out anymore. The exhaustion in his muscles kept him from doing anything but hang there. The guards picked up the considerably lighter barrel and left without a word.

Now able to take stock of his person and surroundings once more, he sighed. He was healed, but the pain still throbbed throughout his being. Every mark pulsed with heat, the skin thin and just barely keeping his blood in. And the blood that had flowed…

From the neck down he was drenched in blood. The acrid smell permeated the room. Underneath the overpowering stench of blood, he also caught whiff of ammonia. Urine.

A blush crept up his neck. He grimaced.

So this was their ploy. They wanted to demean him. It wasn’t going to work. He had an iron will. Everything in him was devoted to his task: protecting his friends. Even though the thought of another session made him shudder, he would do it again and again if it meant they were safe.

But now, he needed to rest. A yawn escaped him and his eyes drooped.

***

When he came to, he was in complete darkness. The next thing he registered was that he was floating in water. He tried to flip over or swim away, but he couldn’t. The water was extraordinarily buoyant, and before he could move anywhere he hit a wall. He suspected another few bites from Vendes’s spiders were the cause for his weakness.

He couldn’t feel anything, not even pain. It was as if all his senses were turned off.

Maybe he was actually dead. It reminded him of the astral plane in a way. It was peaceful. He relaxed into the water. There wasn’t much else he could do. He moved his arm to move some hair out of his face, and his arm brushed against something metal wrapped around his jaw. It was a muzzle of some kind.

So, no talking, no moving, no anything.

What was their game now?

Time soon became meaningless. He tried counting in his head for a little while to pass the time, but when he lost his place he gave up. His thoughts drifted to his friends.

What were they doing right now? Had he saved them? Was he still captured or was he dead and his friends were next?

He missed them. He never should have left. They could’ve worked together.

Did they miss him too? Oh gods, what if his friends tried to come after him?

It would be worse than any trap set by the drow. He should have left a note. But if Catti-Brie was the one to find it, she wouldn’t have paid it mind. She was just as stubborn as Bruenor.

But maybe his friends would understand and they would stay away. Yes, that would make this all worth it if his friends were safe.

_ Splash. _

What… Is something in the water?

His ears twitched, listening carefully for any sound. Nothing.

A brush against his legs. A crawling sensation on his calves. They had put something in here with him! He tried to kick it off of him.

There must have been a tunnel under the surface that let the creature in.

It escaped his blows and came back at another angle.

If he could only grab it, he could take it down.

_ Splash. _

There it was!

Drizzt used what strength reserves he had and launched himself toward the noise, only to hit his head against the wall. It was just here! He knew it was!

He just…

Had to…

Grab it!

***

“How goes it, Vendes?” Matron Baenre stood in the doorway of the main toture chamber. It was lined with all sorts of devices and specialized cages with a variety of creatures, all moaning in agony from their punishments.

Vendes reclined next to an inconspicuous pod. It was round and entirely smooth except for a small hatch. The pod looked big enough to hold a person, but that was it.

“Well,” she said curtly. “He’s in the tank now.”

“That’s the new one, right? What did it do?”

Vendes rolled her eyes and it took all the self-restraint in Baenre to not strike her child. “Yes. It deprives the victim of all senses. While it might seem like that’s not much, long term effects have revealed impeccable results. It’s very easy to keep up for long periods of time as well due to low maintenance costs.”

“I see… This isn’t  _ all _ you have planned for him, though, correct?”

“Of course not. I set up a very stringent treatment plan. He spends a couple of days here,” she patted the pod, “and then we take him out, dish out physical and emotional beatings in short, intense, bursts, then he goes right back in. I even found a way to make feeding and watering a torture in and of itself. The trick is forcing him to binge and then face the consequences. Vomiting, nausea, headaches, urination, throat irritation, the works. It should make him unwilling to eat and lose his continence so that, in the chance we keep him around for a long time, he’s been forced into helplessness. Think like a baby. A baby that we tortured into being.”

Baenre nodded with a slight smile. “The ultimate blow to his pride.”

“Exactly! Matron, I really think if you adopted some new methods and ditched the whips, we could achieve a whole new level of control.” Vendes stood at her fullest and balled his fists in front of her from excitement.

“I’ll leave it to you, Vendes. I have tasks other than doling out punishments, as unfortunate as it is. I trust you to make all the right choices.”

Vendes deflated a bit. “Understood. Just know that I will always welcome your company down here. I’m actually loyal, unlike those sisters of mine.”

“I know,” Baenre placed a wrinkled hand to the younger woman’s cheek. “And that’s why you’re my Vendes.”

She relaxed into her mother’s hand, displaying only the smallest of weakness to demonstrate her trust. Vendes was quite happy where she was, she only wished her mother gave her more attention.

Baenre pulled her hand away. Vendes straightened up. “Now, back to it. I have duties to attend.”

“Of course. I have some fingernails to pull and a virgin to deflower.”

Vendes called over a few guards and opened the tank.

***

“This way, Entreri.” Catti-Brie waved him toward her.

The two skulked through the corridors of the first house, House Baenre. She could still barely believe she was willingly working with him, but everytime she saw the way he looked at the drow, she understood at least a little bit. At first she thought the look was his typical glare, but soon enough she realized there was a glint of fear. He was afraid, and for good reason.

She’d only been stuck in Menzoberranzan for a couple of weeks, but he had been here for almost a year. And he was a male. Catti-Brie, at least, had been left mostly alone since she was disguised as a priestess, but Entreri had no such luck.

On some level, it made Catti-Brie happy to see him this way. But on another level, she wouldn’t wish the wiles of the drow on anybody, not even him.

The man in question nodded and followed her to the corner. They were taking turns going through the halls and acting as lookout. They worked surprisingly well together.

He held up a hand at his checkpoint. He signed to her that there was one guard, lightly armed, and had a keyring attached to their belt.

_ ‘Go for it,’  _ she signed back clumsily. They had both learned drow sign language (Catti-Brie from Drizzt and Entreri from Jarlaxle) so they used it to the best of their abilities, even though neither was good at it.

Entreri virtually faded into the shadows. She waited for a few moments before she heard a soft  _ thump. _ Taking that as her cue, she rounded the corner to see Entreri already pulling the keyring off the dead guard’s belt.

“This one,” he held up a key, “goes to the dungeon. We can head back to the door for it now.”

“How do you know it’s for the dungeon?”

He flipped the key to show the other side which held some writing. “It’s written right here.”

“Oh. I’ll take your word for it.”

“Whatever. Let’s go.”

Even though she had every reason not to trust him, she knew he wanted to leave as much as she wanted to rescue Drizzt. They needed him as a guide. Without him, they would be stuck in the Underdark. Besides, Catti-Brie would rather die than let Drizzt stay here a second longer.

They made it through the dungeons without incident. None of the cell doors were locked, they were so confident in their security. As much as Catti-Brie wanted to rush, she diligently looked inside every cell. As they went deeper, a distant, hoarse screaming echoed through the halls. Soon, it seemed that the screaming was just in the next hallway.

Catti-Brie felt dread well up in her soul. The screaming had been going for at least half an hour at this point. Who knows for how long before they got close enough to hear it.

She jumped at hand on her shoulder, but was somewhat relieved when she realized it was only Entreri.

“Relax. It’s probably not him. Even if it is, it’s going to take more than whatever they’re doing to him to keep him down for long.” He patted her once before moving in front to lead the way.

She blinked. Did he… comfort her?

They moved to hide in an alcove. The screaming was right next to them, and they weren’t going to move on without checking that room.

“That was nice of you,” Catti-Brie whispered.

“What?”

“Just, you acted kind.”

“Shut up. They’re going to hear your breathing. Gods, woman, you’re loud.”

Catti-Brie smiled. She could see deflection a mile away. It was something Drizzt was quite prone to doing.

“Thank you.”

“I told you to shut your yap.”

Okay, maybe she was developing a bit of a soft spot for him. He was like one of those fighting dogs that had been mistreated and didn’t know how to act nice but still tried when given the chance. She’d never forget the hell he’d put them all through, but maybe, someday, she could forgive him. It was unlikely that he’d try, but who was she to deny another redemption.

Ugh, Bruenor was right. She  _ did _ have a weakness for lost causes and renegades. At least it worked out with Drizzt. Speaking of whom, the screaming stopped and guards exited the room, allowing them to continue their search.

Catti-Brie felt like her feet were made of lead. Every step was harder than the last. She wanted to find Drizzt, truly, but she didn’t want to find him here. She stopped just before the door and couldn’t bring herself to move another inch.

“You look. I can’t.”

Entreri nodded stoically and disappeared into the room. After a few anxiety-filled seconds he called out to her in a whisper.

“He’s here.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she rubbed at her eyes and put on a brave face. Drizzt needed her right now, so she had to be strong. She walked in and closed the door behind her. She grabbed a nearby chair and propped it up against the handle.

She braced herself and turned around.

There was Drizzt, hanging from his wrists on the wall. He was almost unrecognizable, but those lovely lavender eyes fluttered open and locked with her own deep blues. He almost smiled before his head lolled forward and he passed out.

“Drizzt…” Catti-Brie breathed. She ran to him and started looking at his injuries. It was bad. So bad. There was blood everywhere.

“There are some healing potions on that shelf,” Entreri said, jerking his chin to the opposite wall. He was busily lockpicking the shackles.

She grabbed one in each hand and came back over just as Entreri got him free. He lowered Drizzt to the ground carefully.

“You tend to his wounds, I’m going to find his stuff. It’s bound to be in here somewhere.”

Catti-Brie simply nodded. She knelt next to her poor Drizzt. Tear stains marked his face, and he ground his teeth. Gently, she worked his mouth open and slowly trickled healing potion down his throat. By the time he finished the first potion, his breathing had eased considerably and his wounds were no longer bleeding.

It was good enough for now. She scooped up as many health potions as she could and put them into her bag. Entreri stood next to Drizzt, both his own bag and the drow’s slung over his shoulders, waiting with his hands on his hips.

“I take it he’s not ready for travel. How strong are you?”

“Strong enough to keep up with you boys. I might not be as good with a sword but I can carry a lot.”

“Good. You take his left I’ll take his right. If he starts making noise, slap a hand over his mouth. We’re leaving immediately.”

Catti-Brie nodded.  
They both hefted him up and they were on their way out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through the Underdark and to the surface, the trio makes their way. Something is going on in Drizzt's broken mind, but he can't stop and ponder it now. Catti-Brie and Entreri, meanwhile, have a lot of time to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Lots of flirting between Catti-Brie and Entreri. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of the pairing before I had this idea, but I thought it would make for an interesting story. Now that I've started, it's hard to stop! Their dynamic is a lot more interesting and fun than I thought. And don't worry, Drizzt is going to be in the spotlight soon enough ;)

Fighting was not an option.

Entreri knew that much. With Drizzt as an unconscious dead weight, they were lucky to even be moving as quickly as they were.

“You had better be worth it,” he mumbled.

The trio dipped and weaved through the corridors back the way they came. Right as they exited the compound, an alarm sounded, signifying that their actions had been discovered. Entreri picked Drizzt up and threw him over his shoulders.

“Run,” he commanded Catti-Brie.

They dashed into the darkness of the many alleyways that made up Menzoberranzan. After a good few minutes of running, the alarms faded away and they were left in the relative silence of the city. Catti-Brie leaned on a wall, catching her breath. Entreri set Drizzt down and propped him up against a crate.

The assassin checked both ends of the alley before returning to the couple.

“We can rest for the moment. From here, we’ll escape through a passage along the back wall where the marketplace is. After that, we find a safe place to bed down until Do’Urden wakes up. Understand?”

Catti-Brie, who was sitting next to Drizzt and stroking his hair, nodded.

They fell into silence. Catti-Brie looked up and met his eyes, but quickly looked away. She focused on Drizzt’s face instead as she spoke.

“You know, I thought you would love being here among the drow. From what I know about both you and this place, it seems like you should fit right in.”

“And that’s why I have to leave.”

“What do you mean?”

Entreri sighed. “Over-saturated market. Too many assassins in one place and everyone winds up dead. Not very conducive to my well-being.”

She tilted her head. “If that’s the answer you want to go with, then I’ll accept it.”

“What--”

“We should get going. I’ve rested enough and I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

He narrowed his eyes at her but let it go.

Leaving the city was a lot easier than Entreri felt it should have been, but nothing about their escape felt suspicious, so he thanked his good fortune and left it at that.

Outside the city, he left Drizzt with Catti-Brie in a hidden alcove and scouted ahead.

About an hour’s walk from the city, he found a hidden paradise. Glowing moss draped over a tiny entrance, no bigger than a foot wide crack, that led into a chamber with a river that flowed right through the middle. It was small, no more than a twenty-by-twenty space, but it would suffice.

His dangersense had been going off all day, but upon inspection of the space it proved to have no threats. No rock was left unturned. Without any more reason to delay, he jogged back to Catti-Brie and Drizzt.

This was going too well. Something was bound to happen, but all he could do was wait for the gods to reveal whatever trick they had planned to ruin his life this time and deal with it then.

Were they allowed to escape for some nefarious reason? Had they forgotten something crucial and would have to return? Was the person they saved not actually Drizzt but a doppelganger?

He tsked in annoyance. Paranoia didn’t suit him. He just had to be prepared to deal with any eventuality.

It was almost peaceful in their little haven. The flow of the river covered up enough noise that conversation didn’t run the risk of revealing their position. Small, luminescent fish in the water provided some light and food along with the glowing moss.

It was a bit difficult getting Drizzt in there while unconscious, but it was a small price to pay. He was laid out on a bedroll, freshly washed of all the blood and bodily other fluids coating him. They had found clean clothes in his bag and dressed him promptly. He’d had another potion administered to him, but it proved futile in waking him up. His wounds were almost entirely healed, but the scars seemed to be permanent.

Catti-Brie and Entreri sat opposite each other with Drizzt in the middle. Catti-Brie organized their belongings for the umptennth time, while Entreri polished his already pristine weapons.

“So,” Catti-Brie started casually, “what are your plans once we get back to the surface?”

“Go back to how things were before I got mixed up with all the nonsense associated with your group.”

“You’ve just had a life-changing experience and now you just want things to go back to normal?”

“Yes. It was profitable and comfortable. I can strive toward improvement in a familiar environment without having to jeopardize anything.”

Catti-Brie hesitated. “You could always take this as a chance to, I don’t know, make a change?”

“How so?”

She set aside the miscellaneous items she was fiddling with. “Well, you could always  _ not _ be an assassin. You have a good sword arm, so I don’t see why you would hide it in the shadows. Adventuring would suit you.”

He barked out a cold laugh. “Adventuring would suit me. Yes, let me just go find a dragon to slay and kiss a princess as I ride away into the sunset.”

Catti-Brie rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious.”

“Trust me, I know. If you think this,” he gestures to himself, “looks like the pinnacle of heroism, you have some strange perceptions. But then again, you’re best friends with a goody two shoes drow so what do I know.”

“I never said you were a hero. I was just saying that it couldn’t hurt to give it try.”

“And why would I want that? It would be a waste of time.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t be so gods-be-damned miserable all the time if you did!”

Entreri paused in the polishing of his blade. “I’m not miserable,” he stated blankly. He went back to his task.

“You can’t tell me you’re happy with your life.”

“I’m alive and that’s what matters. Happiness is irrelevant.”

“Gah, you’re like talking to a wall. If you just gave it a try, maybe--”

“Maybe you should stop preaching!”

Catti-Brie snapped her mouth shut and leaned back. She stared him down, searching his features for something that Entreri was sure she wouldn’t find. She gave up with a sigh and turned her attention back to Drizzt.

“How long do you think it will take until he wakes up?”

He shrugged. “No clue. Hopefully soon. Sooner he gets up and moving the sooner we get out of this festering pit.”

“You have a very colorful way of talking.”

Entreri looked up at her with his brow furrowed. “What?”

“It’s just that you always describe things so vividly and can paint a pretty good picture. That’s all.” Catti-Brie stretched. “I’m going to sleep. Wake me up if anything happens or you get tired.”

She crawled into her bedroll facing away from Entreri.

Adventuring… ridiculous. He was good at his job. No point in trying to change who he was. He had no need to pursue the same path as Drizzt. He could become just as good, no,  _ better _ than that drow could ever hope. The fact that he could match someone with decades more experience than him proved that his path was better. However, he wouldn’t live as long so he would never truly catch up. That is, unless he found something to extend his life.

He glanced at Catti-Brie’s sleeping form.

Adventurers did more than rescue people and rant about friendship. They also hunted down treasures. Maybe, just maybe, if he played his cards right he could dupe these guys into helping him find something to extend his life. He didn’t want to live forever, no, he just wanted to live long enough to catch up.

If he could pretend to be a moronic halfling for a few months, then surely he could be a convincing enough friend. All he had to do was make it seem organic. A cool smile quirked the corners of his mouth.

Easy.

He reclined on a rock and crossed his arms, keeping an ear out for anything suspicious. It couldn’t have been more than a couple hours when Drizzt began to stir. Entreri got up to alert Catti-Brie, but Drizzt changed his plans.

“Aah--!” he began to scream but was interrupted by a hand clamping down on his mouth. Wide, panicked eyes flitted around until they landed on Entreri.

“Shut the  _ hell _ up before you get us killed,” Entreri snapped.

Drizzt blinked once in an uncomprehending stare. Tears welled up in his eyes and his face crumpled as he dissolved into silent sobs.

Now it was Entreri’s turn to stare in confusion. Drizzt struggled against his hold weakly. So weakly, in fact, Entreri barely considered it struggling. He knelt, frozen, over the sobbing drow, completely out of his depth for what to do.

“Hey, stop it. I’m trying to keep you from dying. You like not dying, yeah? Calm down and I’ll let you go.”

He tried to make his voice as soft and comforting as possible, but all that he managed was quiet and stoic. It seemed to work, however, because Drizzt’s crying stopped.

“I’m letting you go. No screaming, or I’ll get a gag to keep you quiet.” Entreri slowly lifted his hands and sat back.

Drizzt hiccuped, but made no other sounds. Tears stains streaked down his cheeks and fell into his tangled white hair. He sniffled and moved to wipe his nose on his sleeve, his hand trembling.

“Gross, no,” Entreri grabbed Drizzt’s wrist and placed it back at his side. He shuffled around in the nearby bags and pulled a handkerchief from Catti-Brie’s stuff. “Here.”

He tried to hand it to Drizzt, but all he received in return was a blank stare and another wet sniffle. He groaned internally, but did his best to push aside his annoyance.

“Fine, lie there and be useless.” He cleaned up the drow’s face as painlessly for both of them as he could. “Keep quiet, I’m getting your girlfriend up.”

“I’m awake,” Catti-Brie spoke up.

Entreri turned and, sure enough, Catti-Brie was sitting up and looking at him with a smile. He glowered.

“How long were you watching me?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t notice.” She moved to sit next to Drizzt and took his hand into both of hers. “You were doing a good job with him. Wasn’t he, Drizzt?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Catti-Brie sighed. Her smile faded and worry wrinkled her brow. “His scream woke me up. I was about to go to him, but you were faster. And when I saw how careful you were being… I was fascinated. Sorry if it seemed like spying.”

Entreri bit the inside of his cheek to stop a sarcastic answer from jumping out. “It’s fine,” he managed to mutter.

“C-Cat…” Drizzt weakly sputtered. His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper.

“I’m here, Drizzt. I’m here.” She squeezed his hand gently.

“Safe?”

“You’re safe. We rescued you. No one is going to hurt you anymore, I promise.”

“N-no…”

Catti-Brie and Entreri shot a glance at each other.

“No what?” Entreri asked. Drizzt turned his foggy gaze to Entreri.

“Cat… cat safe. Not me. Cat safe?”

“I’m safe Drizzt. Don’t worry about me for once, and let me worry about you.”

“No, no! Cat not safe!” Drizzt pulled his hand away from Catti-Brie. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. His lower lip quivered. His breath picked up into a panic.

Catti-Brie frantically tried to shush him by petting his hair and muttering placating nothings into his ear.

This was worse than Entreri had expected, but he wasn’t totally surprised. He, personally, had only been subject to what tortures were allowed publically, and even then he more often made his way out of it than let the priestesses have their way with him.

Down in that dungeon, with all the most horrible devices and methods at their fingertips and an eagerness to use them, it wasn’t shocking that Drizzt was in such a sorry state. Both parties disgusted him.

He hated House Baenre for taking someone so proud, someone he (unfortunately) considered an equal, and breaking him into something so pathetic. But he also hated Drizzt. He’d allowed himself, no, sought out a way for him to be captured! He was going to give up everything for his stupid friends! It was weak.

Some primal part of Entreri that he forced long ago into a dark corner of his mind felt something he almost forgot was a part of him. He was scared. If someone could break someone as stubborn as Drizzt Do’Urden, then someone could break him. The things of his past still lurked deep in his memories, as much as he tried to forget, and it could be used to destroy him.

All these thoughts occurred in less than a second before Entreri could lock them away again. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache forming.

Catti-Brie at this point was lying beside Drizzt on the ground, holding him close and rubbing his back. Drizzt’s words had devolved into nonsense that only the most insane could hope to comprehend.

Blue eyes peeking over the tangled mess of white hair silently pleaded for his help.

_ Sigh. _

“Hey, you. Do’Urden. Listen up.” The noises continued but at a lower volume. “You’re right. Catti-Brie isn’t safe. She’s not going to be safe until we get to the surface. But you can get us there. You’ve lived here, and you’ve made it out before. Now, quit your pathetic crying and get to work.”

“Entreri,” Catti-Brie said, mortified. “You, you--”

“I told him what needed to be said. I don’t want to spend the rest of my damn life down here and he’s the ticket for me to get out.”

Drizzt had gone quiet. He was completely still and unresponsive.

“Are you just going to lie there and die? Get up.”

His harsh words only caused Drizzt to flinch away. His hands twisted themselves into Catti-Brie’s shirt. Entreri narrowed his eyes. So that’s how he wanted to play it.

“Fine. I was trying to be nice. New plan.” Entreri grabbed Catti-Brie by the wrist and yanked her up. Drizzt’s feeble hold had no chance of fighting.

“Hey--!”

He smacked Catti-Brie on the back of the head to quiet her. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut.” He pulled her close to his chest and whispered into her ear, “play along.”

Anger flared in her pretty blue eyes, but she stopped fighting him. She continued to struggle, but it was more a show than a legit escape attempt.

Drizzt snapped upright and almost went down as fast as he came up. He swayed unsteadily just from sitting, but it didn’t stop him from reaching for Catti-Brie.

“Cat…!”

“Yeah, I’ve got your pretty little Catti-Brie all right. You want her?”

Drizzt nodded, fresh tears flowing.

Entreri tilted his head as if to consider the request before shaking his head slowly. “No. I’m not giving her back.”

“Give Cat!”

“If you want her, get her before I do.” Entreri slipped his jeweled dagger into his hand and pressed it to Catti-Brie’s throat.

She shot him a glare. “You’re going too far.”

“Don’t make me cut out your tongue, bitch.”

She stomped on his foot. He didn’t react. His full attention stayed on Drizzt. Drizzt hyperventilated and his eyes darted around, looking for something to get him out of this situation.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

Drizzt pulled his knees to his chest and ducked down. He pulled at his hair and rocked back and forth.

Entreri spat on the ground near Drizzt’s feet.

“Worthless. She’s mine now--”

His legs were tackled as Drizzt launched his whole body toward the pair. Entreri tossed his dagger out of the way to avoid accidentally stabbing someone. When he regained his bearings, Drizzt sat straddled atop his chest, pulling and clawing at the assassin’s clothes and face. It was pitifully ineffective, but it proved that some spirit was still left in the battered drow.

Entreri easily pushed Drizzt off of him and pinned him to his bedroll.

“Good, you’re back to normal--” again Entreri was cut off, but this time it wasn’t by an outside force. It was a realization that halted his words.

Drizzt’s lavender eyes burned with a fire he’d never seen before. Well, he’d seen hints of it in battle, but never had the fire been so powerful. It was animalistic. Any civility Drizzt possessed was gone. The only thing keeping him from tearing out Entreri’s throat at this point, the assassin thought, was that he was too physically weak to right now.

The growls, snarls, and snapping of teeth didn’t subside until Catti-Brie moved into view.

“Look, Drizzt, look. I’m okay, I’m not hurt.”

He looked between Entreri and Catti-Brie in confusion, but he must have decided they were telling the truth. Entreri slowly let him go and moved away.

Drizzt stood shakily. He stumbled forward a few steps until he got to the wall. He walked around the edge of the room until he made it to the exit and started to make his way through.

“Follow,” he commanded. They didn’t move fast enough and Drizzt barked “follow!” at them again. “Exit. Find exit.”

Catti-Brie scrambled to gather up their belongings and Entreri helped her. They had both expected to stay here for at least another day.

“He’s not okay,” Catti-Brie whispered.

“You’re right. Something else is going on here. It’s like he’s more than one person.”

Catti-Brie got really quiet. She sat with her hands in her lap and avoided looking at Entreri.

“You know something. Talk.”

She sighed. “It’s The Hunter. It’s like another persona that takes over when something terrible happens. I’ve never seen it before, but he’s told me about it. I think you snapped him out of his feelings and into The Hunter.”

“The Hunter.” He let the ridiculous name roll off his tongue in the most condescending tone he could. “What makes it different than how he usually is?”

“To put it simply, he’s like you.”

“Explain.”

“He doesn’t care about anything but survival when he’s The Hunter. Every action he takes is to prolong his own life and fight anything that gets in his way. He’s unthinking except about those things that will make him stronger. It’s a defense. It protects his mind and body when he can’t deal with emotions, but it also destroys him.”

So the bastard really was exactly like him. He was just really good at hiding it.

“We don’t have time for moral quandaries, so I suggest we take full advantage to get out of here.”

Catti-Brie scrunched up her nose. “As much as I hate to say it, you’re right. He needs help but we can’t give him that help while we’re here.”

“Let’s just follow him and keep him from getting killed. From there we’ll figure out what to do.”

She paused in nodding along to his words. “We?”

Perfect. He wanted to put the idea of joining them back into her mind. The best place to start would be by helping his nemesis.

“Yes, we. I’m not leaving you with an invalid.”

“Oh thank you!” She threw her arms around his neck in an impromptu hug. Her voice choked up a little. “I don’t think I can do this by myself.”

Even though she should have been offended enough to back off but still keep an open mind to his presence, his words elicited a much more positive reaction than he expected.

“Don’t. I’ve dealt with enough crying for a lifetime.”

“Sorry.” She pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I’m just stressed. Let’s get going.”

They stood and marched off after their stumbling guide.

***

Three days. That was how long they traveled, so knew The Hunter. He could not fight, so he had to run, and the safest place The Hunter knew was the surface. Somewhere deep inside him, he could feel a sense of failure for running away, but the instincts that took over pushed it down. Survive first, regret later.

The others followed and he made sure they kept up. When they rested, he stayed awake. Dangerous things lurked down here and he could not afford to be caught. Catti-Brie tried to make him sleep, but he eluded her coercion every time. Even if she were to guard him, she couldn’t stop the nightmares that were sure to weaken him.

He couldn’t let The Other take over. Not yet. He was too weak and broken. He needed time to rest. If The Other was given control now, they would lose it to the newest fraction. Even now The Hunter could hear the wails in his mind. The urges to curl up and not move, to let someone else take all control over them, echoed deep throughout their very being.

It was a small and sad thing this newest addition, but its instincts rivaled The Hunter. He would give it control, yes, when they were out of danger. But not yet.

A stiff breeze brushed past them, and The Hunter sped up.

Not yet, but soon.

***

Bright moonlight welcomed the staggering trio onto the surface.

Catti-Brie breathed deeply. The crisp mountain air refreshed her from the nightmare of the Underdark. She looked to the sky and recognized some stars, but she knew they still had a few weeks of travel before them. She glanced to Entreri, who also appeared to savor the air. The smallest hint of a smile quirked his mouth as he gazed upon the full moon. He looked almost happy, and not in a malicious or dark manner.

The peaceful silence was broken by a  _ thump _ as Drizzt fell to the ground, unconscious. Catti-Brie knelt down and slung his arm around her shoulders. She had a long way to walk with him before they could make it to a tavern.

To her shock, Entreri ducked under Drizzt’s other arm and asked “Where to?”

She merely stood there with her mouth open, unable to begin thinking of a response. Was he offering to help? But he was free now! That was the deal and he had declined her offer to try his hand at legitimate adventuring work.

“Well? Tavern, right back to the road, where are we taking this lump?”

“I-I, um, a tavern. We’ll start there and come up with a plan of action.”

“All right. I think I know this area. If I recall, there should be a small town about a mile north. If you like mead, they have some of the best honey mead. It makes up for their subpar food.”

“You’re talkative. Where was all this before?”

Entreri scoffed. “You realize we were in the middle of enemy territory, death around every corner, correct? How dare I not speak when a single word could kill us.”

“Oh gods you’re an arse.” She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help a bit of a chuckle.

He side-eyed her and tossed a smirk her way.

They fell into a comfortable silence. The nighttime noises, usually so nondescript, seemed loud. It was nice. The utter quiet of the Underdark made one feel like they were on a raft in the middle of the largest ocean with no land and no security anywhere. However, she would only feel completely safe when they made it back to Mithril Hall.

As they approached the small town, they put Drizzt’s cloak on him and pulled it up to cover him as much as possible. Catti-Brie hoped the dark would disguise him further, but it was all up to the perception of the townspeople.

There was no gate here, just a couple of guards standing at each side of town along the road. They nodded to the trio, but did nothing else. When they reached the tavern, it was clearly on the downswing of the night’s festivities. Most were either passed out or nursing their last mug. A couple rowdy men sang loudly and tried to get others to join in to no avail.

Entreri handed Drizzt off to Catti-Brie and weaved his way through the crowd to the bar. She watched some gold change hands, then he looked back to her and jerked his chin toward the stairs.

“We’ve got it for two nights along with any food we want delivered up. You owe me six gold, princess.”

“Of course, noble hero.” She snickered and he gave a deep chuckle. “We’re so tired.”

“Maybe you are, but the night is my time.”

Catti-Brie would have doubled over laughing if not for being Drizzt’s only support. “Come on, Mr. Bat, even you must be tired after everything.”

“Mr. Bat?” he said, so offended that he even placed a hand to his chest as if to say ‘me? A bat? Are you daft, woman?’ “Am I a noble hero or am I a bat?”

“Mmm… yes.”

“You can’t even make up your mind. Why am I helping you again?”

“Who says you can’t be a heroic bat?”

By this point they had reached the room. Entreri held the door open for her and gestured her in. “Just shut up and get in.”

She stuck her tongue out at him but did as he said.

The room was small, but it had two beds crammed in and some floor space, plus a wooden tub behind a screen. They settled Drizzt onto the bed by the window and changed him into appropriate sleepwear.

Entreri and Catti-Brie’s hands brushed as they pulled the covers up around Drizzt. Their eyes met.

She stared long into those cool gray eyes. Last she had looked this deep into his gaze, she found nothing but death. Now, however, she saw life. She could see a man in there, a man who was angry. But as she peered closer, she also saw something she never imagined: fear. There was fear and a longing deep within his eyes.

You’re human after all, she thought.

The moment ended too soon as Entreri looked down at their hands and cleared his throat. Catti-Brie, unknowingly, had grabbed his hand. She jerked it back and turned away.

“Sorry. It’s late. I need to sleep.”

“You do that.”

When she made to get ready, she noticed him setting his bedroll up on the floor.

“Do you--” she stopped herself. Was she seriously about to offer to share a bed with an assassin!?

“Do I what?”

“Do you want my extra pillows? I don’t need this many and you  _ are _ sleeping on the floor.”

His gaze pierced right through her, but she stood her ground. He shrugged. “Sure.”

Catti-Brie contained a sigh.

Soon, they were settled down. She leaned over to the lamp on the bedside table and blew out the light. She stared hard at the wooden ceiling, tracing the grain and knots with her eyes. Her thoughts were all scattered.

She didn’t love Entreri. She loved Drizzt. That much was true.

And Entreri had hurt not only her, but all of her friends, plus who knows how many good people throughout his career. He was dangerous, evil, and, if not actively out to hurt them now, would take any good opportunity to have them done away.

But he was being so…  _ kind _ now. She knew he was a good actor, he had proved as much during his stunt as Regis, except something was different now. No matter how good of an actor someone was, their eyes never lied. That was how she cut through so much of Drizzt’s bullcrap and stoic exterior, by his eyes.

Bruenor had always said she had a gift for seeing right through people; even as a baby she had always been able to tell good and bad apart.

Maybe it was a gift from the gods, maybe she just had a natural intuition that exceeds most others. Whatever the case, she knew that Entreri had been fundamentally changed. What she didn’t know was whether Entreri knew he had changed. It was possible that he was justifying acting so nice by developing some plot to betray them or something.

Catti-Brie groaned. Why did this have to be so difficult? Sometimes she wished life were black and white and leave it at that. Truly, she wouldn’t have things be any other way, but life would be a lot simpler.

“Something the matter?” Entreri propped himself up on his elbows.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t know you were still awake. Just a headache.”

“Come here,” he said, waving her down. “I know a method to get rid of headaches.”

Catti-Brie’s eyes widened. “No, really, I’m fine.”

“Suit yourself. Don’t disturb my rest again.”

“Of course.”

Catti-Brie rolled away from Entreri. She could ponder all these thoughts later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The extent of Drizzt's issues come to light. Bathing and clothing oneself shouldn't be this hard, right? Luckily, Guen appears and makes life a bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, sorry about the delay in updating. I write these while I have downtime at work and things have been CRAZY busy lately. But anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!

Drizzt drifted in darkness, his mind somewhere between sleep and trance.  
He wasn’t alone here. The presence of two others brushed by him and prodded at his psyche.  
One presence was all too familiar.  
The Hunter materialized in front of him. It looked just like him, of course, but his eyes burned a fiery lavender. His clothes were always ripped, his hair unruly and long, and most often was barefoot. Blood dripped from his scimitars always.  
“I’ve saved us and Catti-Brie… Unfortunately, The Hated One lived also…”  
Entreri. So, he made it out of the Underdark thanks to him. So long as Catti-Brie was fine, he couldn’t bring himself to care much.  
“Are you going to let me take over now?” Drizzt was so tired. He hurt. He’d made so many mistakes. But, maybe, he could fix them now that he was out of that place.  
“You’re too weak.”  
“What? But we’re out of danger!” Catti-Brie had seen enough of him as The Hunter. It must be breaking her heart to see him like that. It was time for him to return to his senses!  
“Were it not for the newcomer, you would already be in control. It is by him that I cannot give you control. Talk to him about your concerns.”  
The Hunter slashed his swords in an ‘X’ and a portal opened. He stepped through and his influence was buried once again. Drizzt could only futilely reach after him.  
“The newcomer?”  
His voice echoed in the darkness. It stretched on and on, fading out into nothingness. Except, it didn’t fade completely. His voice grew and came back again, only now it wasn’t an echo.  
Wailing, crying, screaming.  
He spun around, trying in vain to find the source. In the distance he saw a small figure, curled up on the ground. Beneath the deafening noise, he made out a desperate plea.  
“No, no, no…”  
The noise grew to a crescendo the closer he got. The figure looked up, and it was himself: gaunt, hollow-eyed, barely living, with tears streaming down his face.  
Then he was falling. His voice joined the chorus of screams as he descended into the abyss of his mind.  
He hit water. Plummeted down until nothing was left. No escape.  
Helpless.

***

Drizzt shot up. He was in a bedroom he didn’t recognize. Catti-Brie sat at his side. She was holding his hand and he was squeezing it mercilessly. Entreri stood behind her, his arms crossed.  
Drizzt tried to steady his breath, and Catti-Brie murmured some indistinguishable words of encouragement. He swallowed thickly. Nothing felt right. Everything was off. His body didn’t feel like his own.  
He let go of Catt-Brie’s hand, opting instead to hide his face in his knees as he pulled them to his chest. When she rubbed his back, he didn’t object.  
The first thing he noticed was that he was drenched in sweat, practically soaked. He couldn’t bring himself to care very much, but he knew he’d have to bathe later. A shiver ran down his spine.  
No, no baths. No water.  
He pulled at his hair, hoping the pain would take him out of his spiraling thoughts.  
Catti-Brie and Entreri began speaking in low tones, and he took that as a viable distraction. He peeked up from under his hair.  
“It’s a good thing you thought to get an extra night,” Catti-Brie said. “There’s no way we can travel today.”  
“Just be ready to pay more. Everyone in town must have heard him screaming.”  
Catti-Brie nodded. “We should also look into getting horses. The sooner we’re in Mithril Hall the better.”  
“Agreed. Is he calm yet?”  
“I’m not sure. Give him a few minutes. Poor thing… He sweat right through his clothes.”  
“You mean pissed right through his clothes.”  
Drizzt stiffened up. He hugged his knees closer and bit his lip. Had he-- no, but… Now that Entreri had said something, it really did feel like--  
Catti-Brie smacked Entreri on the arm. He couldn’t see her face but he imagined she was glaring at him.  
“I’m only telling the truth. That’s what you good-doers do, right? Tell the truth.”  
“You don’t have to be mean about it. He’s gone through enough.”  
Entreri rolled his eyes. “Regardless, he needs something else to wear. Damned savage only has the one outfit and we can’t let him go naked while it gets washed. I’m going to go spend more of my coin to pay for more of your expenses.”  
He walked to the door, grabbed his cloak, and he was gone.  
The door slammed shut and Drizzt flinched. He hated the sound of slamming doors. It took him right back to the dungeon. They always slammed the doors when they entered and left for no reason.  
Catti-Brie reached out to rub his back but he dodged away.  
No, touching hurt. But it was Catti-Brie, Catti-Brie was safe. Except, what if it wasn’t? He only assumed it was Catti-Brie, but his eyes were closed. What if it was someone else? What if he had fallen so far into delusion that he only thought he was in a bed with Catti-Brie at his side.  
Drizzt’s breathing picked up until he was gasping, but his lungs seemed to reject all the air he brought in. A whimper broke through, and he had to fight back to keep from screaming out. His throat hurt. It was raw. He didn’t want to scream anymore.  
“Drizzt, please, I’m here. Let me help you.” Catti-Brie’s voice broke through the panic, but he couldn’t process her words.  
He scooted further away from her, and he felt the bed dip as she tried to follow after him.  
“It’s all right, you’re safe.”  
Lies! It was a lie! They always lied!  
He pushed himself away further, but there was no more bed to run away on. He toppled to the floor flat on his back. His head started to throb and he could feel a bruise already developing.  
“Drizzt! Are you hurt?” Catti-Brie took advantage of his temporary shock to pull his head into her lap and cradle him. “Be more careful, please. I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”  
Her voice choked up, and her beautiful, soft blue eyes became moist. No tears fell, however, because Catti-Brie was strong. She had always been so strong of heart, more than Drizzt could ever hope to be. He wanted to comfort her and hold her, not the other way around.  
But the moment of lucidity passed all too quickly and panic set back in.  
He pushed and struggled against her grip, but his atrophied muscles couldn’t fight against her strong hold.  
Catti-Brie held him tighter and pulled him against her chest. Had this happened a month ago, he would have been delighted though embarrassed. Now, he only wanted escape. That was all his mind could focus on.  
After several agonizing minutes, Drizzt went limp. It was useless. He was too weak. He was at the mercy of anyone he met. Hopelessly, he cried. He couldn’t do anything else.  
“Oh Drizzt…” Catti-Brie squeezed him in a hug. “Shush now, I’m here. I’ll protect with everything I have. I will this right.”  
She kept up her litany of comforting nothings. It must have been at least an hour before they settled into a calmed state. Drizzt was too exhausted to fight or cry anymore. He took a shuddery breath and closed his eyes.  
He wanted to die.  
How could he go back to the life he led before? He was broken, useless. Why did anyone care anymore. They should just kill him and move on with their lives. It would be easier for everyone.  
A swish of fabric was the only auditory warning that revealed Entreri had returned.  
“Have you been down there the whole time?”  
“Yes, he was… not doing well.”  
Entreri sighed.  
“Well, get him up. I’ll take him to the bath downstairs and you clean up this mess.”  
“Please be gentle with him.”  
“I’ll do what needs to be done.”  
Drizzt wrapped his hand in the material of Catti-Brie’s shirt. If he couldn’t convince himself to trust Catti-Brie, his closest and dearest friend in the whole of existence, then there was no way in the Nine Hells he was going to let Entreri near him.  
Catti-Brie untangled him from her, forcing his hands to let go. Drizzt grabbed back on.  
“Come on. You need to bathe. Don’t you want to put on some clean clothes?” She pulled his hands away again. Drizzt whined, unable to muster the energy to do much else.  
She sat him up and she and Entreri pulled him to his feet. He swayed and almost toppled but Entreri caught him.  
Let go!  
Drizzt pulled and thrashed but the tight grip on his upper arms kept him from getting away or falling.  
“Nnnn!”  
“All right,” Entreri said, narrowing his eyes. “If this is how you want to do it, I’ll gladly oblige.”  
Before he could even blink, Drizzt was in Entreri’s arms. They were out and into the hall by the time Drizzt had the capacity to react.  
Every nerve in his body told him, urged him, to fight. Take down Entreri, run away, escape with Catti-Brie. But his brain couldn’t send the order to his limbs. He was paralyzed mentally. The world seemed very far away, as if he was lying on the bottom of a lake and looking up at the clouds above. His vision became blurry, and the sounds all around him muted.  
It was like trancing, but not. He felt like his soul had taken a step out of his body.  
He felt himself being put down. He heard something. Entreri was talking. What was he saying? He couldn’t understand, so he stopped worrying about it. His fingers were really interesting. He traced them up and down his thigh. The fabric was coarse and itched his fingers. He tugged on a loose string he found on the seam of his pants.  
Oh, Entreri stopped talking. It must not have been important. Then, he was being undressed. Entreri pulled him to his feet and pulled off his clothes. That brought him back a little more into his mind, but he was too mentally tired to fight back.  
Entreri muttered to himself, clearly not thinking that Drizzt could hear him or not caring. “You want to move on your own? No? Just going to sit there like an idiot? At least you’re not fighting anymore. I might’ve had to knock you out just to give you a bath.”  
The bathhouse. That made sense. He didn’t know the last time he had been clean. Entreri pulled him over to where the wooden bathtub.  
“Get in,” he commanded. He tried to psh Drizzt along into the water, but Drizzt held his ground.  
“I said, get in. I know you can hear me in there somewhere.”  
Drizzt shook his head. He was trembling. He didn’t want to be submerged. Not again.  
Entreri took a look at Drizzt’s expression, and his scowl softened, if only by an infinitesimally small amount.  
“Are you scared of the water?”  
Drizzt nodded vigorously. He made himself a little dizzy by the action.  
Entreri threw his head back and sighed. After a moment, he asked “What can I do to get you in the tub?”  
By instinct, Drizzt grabbed the assassin's hand and squeezed it.  
“Hold my hand… Fine. Whatever will end this torment for the both of us.”  
Drizzt warily stepped into the water. It was warm. He slowly crouched down and sat. He heart raced. He tightened his grip on Entreri’s hand. It was the only thing grounding him.  
“Do you need help washing too?” Entreri’s tone was half-mocking, half-serious.  
Drizzt nodded after a second of pondering.  
“Of course.”  
The bath went by quickly. Entreri was methodical and made no further comments. Even with only one hand available, they couldn’t have been in there for more than half an hour.  
The only hitch was rinsing out Drizzt’s hair, but Entreri overcame that by saving it for last and ambushing him with a bucket of water.  
Drizzt spluttered and rubbed at his eyes, but Entreri was already moving him out of the tub and wrapping him in a towel.  
“My part’s done. Catt-Brie can get you dressed. Come on, pain in my ass.”  
Entreri turned to lead the way.  
Drizzt muttered a small “Sorry…”  
The assassin’s hand paused on the doorknob. “Noted.”

***

Entreri knew Drizzt was going to be broken after those stupid drow had their fun with him, but what the actual everliving tormentors of the eternal abyss was going on? If he wasn’t as strong and disciplined as he was, he’d shudder to imagine the tortures that could lay someone so low. As it stood, he was deeply disturbed.  
He entered the room and saw Catti-Brie laying out some nightclothes on a freshly made bed. She perked up and smiled when Drizzt entered.  
“Do you feel better? I bet you do, now come here and get dressed.”  
Entreri could sense the underlying strain in Catti-Brie’s voice. She was doing well with her facade, but it was a thin mask for an accomplished assassin like himself.  
Drizzt wandered over without a word, Entreri getting pulled along. He could have broken the hold at any point, but he’d rather give in for now for the sake of ease.  
At some point, one of Drizzt’s fingers had found itself in his mouth. Entreri mentally tucked that piece of information away. Slowly, he was building up an idea of how exactly Drizzt was coping from his mannerisms, and thus far the symptoms showed an ever bleaker picture.  
Entreri pulled Drizzt’s fingers from his mouth and disentangled his own own from the drow’s. A low whine protested the separation, but Catti-Brie made a quick distraction.  
“Drizzt, would you like me to summon Guen?”  
Instantly, Drizzt’s face lit up. He nodded vigorously, a shy smile making its first appearance.  
Entreri grimaced. “Make sure the damn thing doesn’t pounce on me.”  
“What, are you scared of her?” Catti-Brie teased. She pulled the statuette out of her pocket.  
“I’m not a fan of suffocating under five hundred pounds of fur, and I know that thing does not care for me.”  
“You could say that about a lot of people.”  
Another whine interrupted their exchange and Drizzt extended a hand while making a grasping motion.  
“I’m summoning her, be patient.” Catti-Brie set the statuette on the ground. “Guenhwyvar, Drizzt needs you. Come to us.”  
Mist swirled around until it formed into the familiar shape of a panther. Entreri took several steps back and placed a hand calmly on his dagger. Guenhwyvar, once she had fully formed, tossed a lazy growl his direction, but ignored him once she seemed to deem him not a threat right now.  
She loped over to Drizzt and flopped down at his feet, exposing her belly and tossing her head back. The tip of her tail flicked playfully. Drizzt dropped to his knees. He wrapped his arms around Guenhwyvar’s neck and buried his face in her side. The panther responded by licking his hair, thoroughly messing it up in her attempt at ‘grooming’.  
Gods, Entreri hated animals. He could already see the black fur getting everywhere and smell that weird scent that always hung around cats.  
“Drizzt,” Catti-Brie started as she crouched next to him, “I need to talk to Entreri for a minute. Stay here with Guen, and, when you’re done hugging her, get dressed. I set them right here on the bed.”  
He nodded but didn’t move. Catti-Brie gave the panther a scratch behind the ears before going into the hallway, Entreri following.  
She wasted no time. “Drizzt is far worse than I think either could have imagined.”  
“Really? What tipped you off? The crying and refusing to speak, the thumbsucking, or the bedwetting?”  
Catti-Brie tried to muster up a glare, but she could only sigh. Her shoulders slumped. “I wish I could be mad at you, but you’re right, even if you are being an ass. I just… I have no idea what to do. We still have a long way to travel. I know we’re staying here for a few days, but once we’re on the road again… I don’t know how to take care of Drizzt. I just want to fix him. Make everything right again. That’s why I’m talking to you I guess.” Her gaze dropped to the ground. “But, really, you’re probably as lost as I am.”  
Entreri lifted her chin up so that she looking him in the eyes. He hesitated when he saw how shiny her eyes appeared in the flickering candlelight. It was almost like little stars were dancing in the dark blue sky of her irises. He mentally shook his head. Sentiments like that made him sound like a moron.  
“Don’t underestimate what I’ve seen. I might not have seen anything exactly what Do’Urden is going through, but I can make an educated guess.”  
“But you’ve seen something like this?” Catti-Brie’s voice was practically drippping in hope. “Was there a way to help?”  
“A way to help? No. But I can tell you what I know.”  
“Please!”  
“Calm yourself, woman, I’m getting to it.” Catti-Brie’s expression soured a bit but she still looked optimistic. “From what I’ve been able to tell, Do’Urden has switched to a childish mindset due to the stress he experienced while being tortured. I’ve seen similar things, and I’m sure you have as well, but to a lesser extent. Wretches in their death throes calling for their mother, weak-willed scoundrels wetting themselves in fear, you get the idea. What’s happening to Do’Urden is the extreme, more permanent version of those things.”  
“How do we fix it?”  
Entreri shrugged. “No idea. I see two ways of handling this. One, we try to shock his system into being normal by ignoring all his wailing.” Catti-Brie frowned. Yeah, he should have seen her disapproval coming. “Or two, we play along with his little delusion until he brings himself out it, gradually encouraging him to ‘grow up’.”  
“And these are the best ways to help him?”  
“Hell if I know. These are just my guesses. If you want a better solution, try talking to psionicist.”  
She sighed. After a few quiet moments she squared her shoulders. “We’re going to do this gradually. I’ll just figure out how to take care of him along the way.”  
“I was hoping you would pick the other option. It’s been too long since I’ve stretched my intimidating presence.”  
She knocked her shoulder into his playfully. “Shut up and act nice.”  
“Always.” Entreri was surprised to find himself smiling at her. He wished he could blame it on his acting, but a small part of him felt genuinely happy. He must be tired. He was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of nonsense happening. That was it. He was simply going through a minor delirium of his own.  
He wasn’t happy bantering with Catti-Brie, he was just amused.  
And he certainly wasn’t smiling at her back where she couldn’t see him.  
Lastly, there was no chance that he imagined holding her and stroking her hair as they fell asleep together.  
He didn’t feel anything; he never felt anything.

***

Drizzt had missed Guen so much. Her soft fur, her rough tongue, and her solid muscles all kept him grounded. Guen always made things better. She’s been there for him from the beginning, from before he ever developed the Hunter, and she was still here to keep him safe and somewhat sane now.  
After several minutes of soft comfort, he pulled himself away from his furred haven. Catti-Brie asked him to get dressed. He could do that. He’s dressed himself millions of times over his lifetime. It was easy.  
Why, then, did he feel such waves of confusion as he stared down at the nightshirt and undergarments?  
With shaking fingers, he picked up the shirt and tried to pull it over his head, but something got twisted and he wound up with one arm through the neck hole. Well, that’s fine. He can just unbutton it and fix it. The buttons had shifted to his right side, so he turned and started pulling at them. They stayed in place. Drizzt furrowed his brow. He pulled at them more until he heard a snap. One of the buttons broke off.  
“Oh…” Drizzt muttered. “Broken.” He felt his emotions press in around him, but he pushed back. It was just a button. He took a deep breath and continued on.  
He got the rest of the buttons undone without a problem and shimmied until the shirt was in place. A smile started to form until he realized the buttons were at the back. He’d put it on backward. Determined to not let his efforts go to waste, he decided to just wear it like this. He reached back to button up a few of them before turning his attention to the undergarments.  
It had laces up the front. A whine escaped his throat but he picked it up anyway. He pulled the lace out completely. It could be put back later. One foot in, then the other. He pulled them up, and both his legs were in the same hole. He growled. Why was this so hard!?  
He pushed them back down harshly, but as he tried to lift a foot out to fix it, his balance failed. The ground rushed up to meet his face and he was face to floor, spreadeagle. Warmth dripped from his nose and he knew it was blood.  
The door behind him flung open and Catti-Brie said “Drizzt? What happened? Are you all right?”  
The panic in her voice set something off int Drizzt. He slammed his fists on the ground.  
“Can’t do it! Can’t do anything! Useless!” Angry tears blinded him and mixed with the blood from his nose. He slammed the ground again. “Useless Drizzt!”  
As he was about to hit the floor again, he felt a heavy weight press into his back. Small pricks of pain told him that it was Guen’s paw and she was not letting up.  
She growled at him and put another paw between his shoulders. The pressure was great, but also comforting in a way. All the tension he felt melted away. Once he was limp, Guen removed her paws. She bit the back of his shirt and pulled him into a sitting position so she could lay her head in his lap. With one hand Drizzt stroked her head and the other wiped the blood from his nose.  
“‘M sorry… Sorry Catti, sorry Enteri.” His breath hitched but he keep himself together. “Help, pease?” He kept looking down at Guen’s fur, watching her ears twitch. He didn’t want to see the expression on the others’ faces.  
Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from his face. Entreri pressed a handkerchief to his nose and wiped away the blood.  
“Don’t bleed on the shirt I just bought you. Honestly, how many outfits are you going to go through in one day?”  
“Sorry…”  
“Yes, yes, you’re sorry. Stand up and let’s get you fixed.” Entreri turned to look back at Catti-Brie and grimaced. “Looks like I’ve got to do everything around here.”  
At that, Catti-Brie unfroze and moved to Drizzt’s side as well. She and Entreri helped Drizzt up and dressed him properly.  
“You even broke the button,” Entreri said. “We really cannot leave you alone anymore. Cat, I hope you’re ready to not get any sleep because I’m not skipping my rest.”  
Catti-Brie giggled. “As if you could not meddle. You might not have noticed, but you like to jump in of your own accord.”  
“Nonsense.”  
Did… did Entreri just use the nickname he gave to Catti-Brie? They couldn’t be friendly, no, he was just trying to-- to--  
But Catti-Brie giggled! Maybe Entreri was changing. That was good. That meant that Entreri was becoming a good person. But what was that look in Catti-Brie’s eyes? She was looking at him so… tenderly.  
No, it was just his imagination. She probably just wanted to encourage him to act like a decent person, so she was being especially nice. She’s always been really nice to people who might not deserve it, but that is how he and Catti-Brie had become friends. She was just a young girl who gave a strange drow a chance, and now they had a lifelong friendship to look forward to.  
Still, that niggling thought of something more going on between her and Entreri was only quieted, not silenced.  
They finished dressing him and he was led to the bed by Catti-Brie. She laid him down and tucked him in. She planted a kiss on his cheek and hovered over him.  
“You’re going to be all right, Drizzt. I promise that I will find a way to make everything better again.”  
Guen jumped onto the bed and curled up at Drizzt’s side. She yawned and laid her head on top of Drizzt’s stomach. Drizzt yawned as well. Catti-Brie smiled.  
“It looks like you’re both tired. If you need anything, we’re right over there. Sleep well.” She gave him one more peck on the cheek and went off to get herself ready for bed behind a dressing screen.  
Drizzt’s eyes drooped and he struggled to keep them open. Entreri stood nearby, leaning against the wall. He looked across the room to where Catti-Brie was dressing. As he stared off, he spoke in a whisper almost too quiet for even Drizzt’s keen ears to hear.  
“You’re a real pain. I don’t even know if you’re still in there or if there’s nothing but whatever this,” he gestured along Drizzt’s body, “is. It’s pathetic. I thought you might be a challenge for me, a decent rival, but with you like this, there’s not a chance. Just be glad you still have a use for me, otherwise I’d have left you in the Underdark a long time ago.”  
Entreri pushed off the wall and headed for his own bed. He took off his cloak, belt, and boots, leaving them in a pile on a nearby chair, before he got into bed and spoke no more.  
Drizzt was unable to react, his drowsiness preventing him from doing more than listening as he slipped further into unconciousness. The anxiety caused by Entreri’s words followed Drizzt into his sleep, but he didn’t need any help to have a fitful night.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: This is going to be a multi-chapter story but I dunno how to mark it that way. I might just be dumb. Just wanted to let everyone know that this isn't the end!


End file.
